NEWSLETTER
Limited Engagement Runs April 2 – 8 at The Chain Theatre; Production features live band and music
New York, N.Y. - Journey through a harrowing array of ex-boyfriends in the new Y2K nostalgia rock opera EXES: The Musical written by Anne DiGiovanni (p/k/a deegie) and Joseph Lewczak. The limited engagement runs April 2 – 8 and will be presented as part of the 2025 New York City Fringe Festival with FRIGID New York. Olivia Facini directs the New York premiere.
deegie, a powerhouse pop punk princess, takes a deep dive into her past relationships through her real diaries in the one-woman rock opera, EXES: The Musical. Taking the audience on an unexpected journey through the fairytale romantic myths of popular culture, deegie’s diaries chronicle a range of boyfriends – from men who made clear they never wanted to be serious, to clingy, cloying men who held deegie too tight. Her reliving of how that culture intertwines with rape culture and impacts women as they come of age is a rollercoaster ride with the highs of love and validation and the lows of emotional repression, leaving deegie screaming “Stop the ride!” With the sound of Olivia Rodrigo’s older sister (or Avril Lavigne’s younger one), each song is an exploration of memory, accountability, and perspective only time can give.
deegie released an EP called EXES about her ex-boyfriends with their real names in the titles and debuted EXES: The Musical in a sold-out performance at The Hudson Theatre in Los Angeles in October 2024. deegie shared, “Creating this show has been like making a scrapbook of my life, but one I want to glue shut forever, except the songs are so fun to do live and the stories are so vivid, that I’m addicted - almost as much as I was addicted to my EXES.” She went on to say, “I also hope that recounting being sexually assaulted and the ambiguity and ambivalence of that trauma, is something that can help other survivors process in new ways.”
deegie emotional directness and empowering energy have inspired questions like “What makes you so angry?” There’s something about a woman being raw, bold, and fierce with her gut-punching lyrics that makes people uncomfortable despite her anthemic melodies, and deegie’s mission is to shine a klieg light on that truth. deegie is currently releasing songs off her forthcoming EP, Feminism 101, documenting her experiences as a woman in a man’s world.
EXES: The Musical runs April 2 - 8 with performances on Wednesday, April 2 at 6pm, Friday, April 4 at 9:20pm, Sunday, April 6 at 5:20pm, Monday, April 7 at 7:40pm, and Tuesday, April 8 at 9:20pm. Running time: 60 minutes.
The Chain Theatre is located at 312 West 36th Street (between 8th & 9th avenue), New York, NY 10018.
Tickets are available for $25 (excluding fees, sliding scale tickets also available)
MORE INFO: www.deegiemusic.com/exesthemusical
The creative team includes lighting design by Christina See (Only Murders in the Building, Succession) and musical director Joseph Lewczak. The band features deegie (vocals/keyboards), Jeannette Lawler (drums) and Joseph Lewczak (guitar).
Check out the EXES: The Musical New York City Fringe teaser.
Download high resolution promo photos.
Olivia Facini (director) is a director, producer, and playwright based in New York. She has worked with large theater institutions, smaller ensembles, and freelance artists, including 600 HIGHWAYMEN, Atlantic Theater Company, Clubbed Thumb, Mercury Store, Moxie Arts, New Georges, Talking Band, The 24 Hour Plays, The Associates Theater Ensemble, The Hearth, and Williamstown Theatre Festival. She received a New York State Assembly Citation for her contributions to arts activism.
New York City Fringe Festival is an open lottery-based theatre festival presented by FRIGID New York, which gives artists an opportunity to let their ingenuity thrive in a venue that values freedom of expression and artistic determination. In true support of the Indie Theater Community, 100% of box office proceeds go directly to the artists whose work is being presented. FRIGID New York is here to chill out the New York independent theatre scene’s ideas of what a theatre festival can be! www.frigid.nyc
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